Overland

It’s an unusual thing indeed to find an orderly transport system when backpacking through SE Asia. I had gotten used to showing up to delayed transport services, disorganized companies and just general mishap. I’d experienced overbooked buses in Laos with passengers having to sit on the floor for up to nine hours, to transfers in…

Crossing land borders in SE Asia is always a curious endeavour. Google becomes you’re best friend as you search for reviews of service companies, try to determine which borders are opened and what the visa requirements are. Holed up on Don Det, Laos, Cambodia just a stone throw away, the mission to find our way…

I know you must be wondering what happened in Vientiane? Well, if you didn’t guess it from my last post, I spent my entire time holed up in Funky Monkey Hostel. The hostel for the most part was great. However, it did seem that the “one-off” power outage from the first day seemed to repeat…

The seat was broken. Correction, almost all the seats were broken. They rattled and thrusted—throwing their cargo around like a tossed salad. If salad had feelings it wouldn’t be far off the perpetual nausea stimulated by this bus journey. We had expected smooth asphalt roads leading into Laos’s capital city. However, this appeared to be…

Delayed. Late. Cancelled. These are three re-occuring problems every traveller dreads when relying on public transport. SE Asia is connected by buses and ferries, allowing easy travel to any destination. Wanting a change from the lurching and struggling ride of a large bus on windy mountainous roads, we book an express minivan at our hostel…

The shuttle is late. I shuffle in my seat to double check the clock hanging on the wall. Finally, the shuttle pulls up in front of my guesthouse and I am rushed aboard. Only the second passenger. We begin twisting through the narrow streets of Chiang Mai and before I know it I’ve done a whole…

Freshly fed, I was ready to start another overnight long-haul bus journey. After a great first JJ Express experience, there was no doubts in my mind when I booked to travel with them again. Unlike my first journey with JJ Express (read about it here), there were only three westerners among the travellers. To travel…